Publishing · head to head
Pressbooks vs Webtoon
Pressbooks
Publishing
Open source book production built on WordPress, and the default tool for open textbooks
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Webtoon
Publishing
Naver-owned vertical-scroll digital comics platform with a paid-early-access coin system
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Pressbooks self-hosting is free in licence terms only; it requires WordPress multisite administration, upgrades and backups, which is a real staff cost most institutions underestimate.; Webtoon the Canvas open-publishing tier is largely unpaid or very low-paid for the vast majority of creators, and building a paying audience without an existing platform boost or promotion is difficult, so most work on the platform earns its creator little to nothing.
- They diverge on capability: Pressbooks covers Single source, three outputs, Webtoon covers Vertical-scroll format.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Pressbooks and Webtoon actually diverge.
| Attribute | Pressbooks | Webtoon |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Open source, no licence fee | Free to read on a delay; Webtoon Coins purchased to unlock early chapter access |
| Platforms | Web, Self-hosted | iOS, Android, Web |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Publishing).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Pressbooks
- Single source, three outputs
- Cloning and adaptation
- H5P interactive content
- LMS integration
- Open source under the GPL
- Accessibility tooling
Only in Webtoon
- Vertical-scroll format
- Fast Pass early access
- Originals programme
- Canvas open publishing
- Webtoon Coins
- Creator dashboard and analytics
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Pressbooks
- A university library replacing a commercial textbook by adapting an existing open textbook rather than commissioning a new onenot Webtoon
- A course team that wants readings delivered inside Canvas or Moodle with embedded exercises rather than as a static PDFnot Webtoon
- A research institute publishing reports that must exist as a web page, an EPUB and a printable document without maintaining three filesnot Webtoon
- A consortium standardising open textbook production across several institutions with a shared catalogue of adaptable titlesnot Webtoon
Webtoon
- A comics reader happy to wait for chapters to become free rather than pay to read aheadnot Pressbooks
- A fan of a specific ongoing series wanting to pay for early access to the next few chapters through Fast Passnot Pressbooks
- An aspiring comics creator weighing whether to submit to the paid, editorially supported Originals programme or self-publish on the open Canvas tiernot Pressbooks
- A reader browsing genre categories such as romance, action or fantasy across a large catalogue of vertical-format seriesnot Pressbooks
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Pressbooks
- Self-hosting is free in licence terms only; it requires WordPress multisite administration, upgrades and backups, which is a real staff cost most institutions underestimate.
- Professional print PDF output depends on a commercial rendering engine that is licensed separately, so the genuinely free self-hosted route produces web and EPUB output but not press-quality print.
- Design control is limited to the supplied themes unless someone writes custom CSS, so books tend to look recognisably like Pressbooks books.
- There is no distribution, no ISBN service and no retail channel, so it produces files and web pages but plays no part in selling anything.
- The editing experience inherits WordPress conventions, and authors working on long or heavily structured manuscripts find it slower than a dedicated writing application.
Webtoon
- The Canvas open-publishing tier is largely unpaid or very low-paid for the vast majority of creators, and building a paying audience without an existing platform boost or promotion is difficult, so most work on the platform earns its creator little to nothing.
- Fast Pass early access is a real-money coin purchase per chapter, and following several ongoing popular series can add up in cost for a reader who consistently wants to read ahead rather than wait.
- Coin pack pricing is structured so that unlocking a handful of chapters regularly across multiple series costs meaningfully more than a flat subscription would, and the per-chapter cost is not always transparent before purchase.
- Only a limited number of creators are accepted into the paid Originals programme, so the promise of making a living from Webtoon publishing applies to a small fraction of contributors rather than the broader creator base.
- As with Wattpad under the same Naver ownership, product direction is set within a larger conglomerate strategy, and Canvas creators in particular have limited leverage or support compared with the curated Originals slate.
Pricing, plan by plan
Pressbooks
Free- PressbooksFree
- GPL licensed, self-hostable with no software fee
- WordPress multisite administration is your responsibility
- Print PDF export depends on a separately licensed rendering engine
Webtoon
Free- Free readingFree
- Full access to released chapters once their free delay period passes
- No subscription required
- Ads shown in some free chapter views
- Webtoon Coins$1.99/per pack
- Coin packs purchased in varying sizes to unlock Fast Pass early chapters
- Coins spent per chapter unlocked, not a flat subscription
- Prices scale with pack size, typically from a few dollars upward
Which should you pick?
Choose Pressbooks if
- You need single source, three outputs.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Self-hosted.
- You also want cloning and adaptation.
Choose Webtoon if
- You need vertical-scroll format.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on iOS, Android, Web.
- You also want fast pass early access.
Questions people ask
- Is Pressbooks or Webtoon better?
- Neither clearly leads. Pressbooks starts at Free and Webtoon at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Pressbooks or Webtoon?
- Pressbooks starts at Free and Webtoon at Free.
- Does Pressbooks or Webtoon run on more platforms?
- Pressbooks runs on Web, Self-hosted. Webtoon runs on iOS, Android, Web.
- Can I use Pressbooks for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Pressbooks best used for?
- Pressbooks is most often used for a university library replacing a commercial textbook by adapting an existing open textbook rather than commissioning a new one, a course team that wants readings delivered inside canvas or moodle with embedded exercises rather than as a static pdf, a research institute publishing reports that must exist as a web page, an epub and a printable document without maintaining three files, a consortium standardising open textbook production across several institutions with a shared catalogue of adaptable titles. Of those, a university library replacing a commercial textbook by adapting an existing open textbook rather than commissioning a new one and a course team that wants readings delivered inside canvas or moodle with embedded exercises rather than as a static pdf are not what Webtoon is typically brought in for.
- What can Pressbooks do that Webtoon cannot?
- Pressbooks covers Single source, three outputs, Cloning and adaptation, H5P interactive content, LMS integration. Webtoon covers Vertical-scroll format, Fast Pass early access, Originals programme, Canvas open publishing.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Pressbooks: Is Pressbooks really free?
The software is GPL licensed and free to self-host. The hosted service is priced, and professional print PDF output requires a commercially licensed renderer, so budget accordingly.
Webtoon: Do I have to pay to read Webtoon comics?
No, chapters become free after a delay; paying with Webtoon Coins through Fast Pass only lets you read upcoming chapters early.
Pressbooks: Can I sell a book made in Pressbooks?
You can sell the EPUB or the printed book through any distributor, but Pressbooks itself provides no ISBN, no storefront and no distribution.
Webtoon: Can Canvas creators get paid?
Direct payment on Canvas is limited; most paid creator opportunities come through being accepted into the curated Originals programme.
Pressbooks: Why do universities use it for open textbooks?
Because an openly licensed book can be cloned into another institution network and adapted for a different course, which turns a finished textbook into a starting point rather than a fixed artefact.
Webtoon: Who owns Webtoon?
Webtoon Entertainment, owned by Naver, the South Korean internet company that also owns Wattpad.
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